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Learn MorePresenting Lookout Labs and Plan B
Today we are introducing a new concept called Lookout Labs and rolling out our first project: Plan B. Lookout Labs was created to explore and test out new ideas that push the boundaries of mobile. Projects developed in Lookout Labs are experimental by nature and are developed to showcase new concepts and facilitate an exchange between Lookout and the mobile community. Our engineers and other staff come up with new ideas every day, and we wanted a way to get the best ones implemented and released to the market quickly. They may only be available for a limited time, so make sure you check out our latest projects when they are first rolled out.
As part of Lookout Labs, today we are releasing our first project called Plan B. Plan B for Android is the last resort to find your missing phone. Plan B is the first and only ‘find my phone’ app that you can download AFTER you’ve already lost your phone to locate it.
We’ve all had a friend who has lost their phone, but didn’t have Lookout or another ‘find my phone app’ already on their phone. Plan B was created for them. Plan B is not a replacement for Lookout and is designed to be a one-time use app. It’s a backup plan for anyone who’s lost their phone and wants to get it back.
Using Plan B is simple, but requires access to the Android Market website (https://market.android.com/) and a Google account.
Follow these easy steps to use Plan B:
- Go to the Android Market website and search “Plan B,” or visit the Plan B Android Market page.
- Install Plan B to the phone that you are trying to find. (It’s important to note that you need to download Plan B from the web version of the Android Market, not the Android Market app market on your phone.)As soon as it is installed, Plan B will send an email to your Gmail account telling you it’s locating your phone.
- Once Plan B has located your phone, check your Gmail again to find a link to a Google Map of where your phone is located. For 10 minutes Plan B will send you a series of consecutive emails with refined location updates every few minutes.
- If your phone seems to be on the move, and you aren’t able to find your phone within ten minutes of downloading Plan B, you can text yourself the word “locate” from a friend’s phone in order to start the locate process again.
- After you’ve found your lost phone, we recommend you download full protection from Lookout Mobile Security!
Since this is a beta project as part of Lookout Labs, it is only available in the U.S. on the four major carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile) and you must be on Android 2.0 and above.
Be a good friend. Help spread the word, and if you ever have a friend that has lost their phone, tell them about Plan B! Stay tuned for more innovative projects to come out of Lookout Labs.
© 2012 Lookout, Inc. All rights reserved. Patents pending.
another one, what if the thief changes the sim? how can i send “locate” to it?
what if the theft changed the sim? how can i text “locate” in it?
@Ivy, thanks for your message, we’re very sorry to hear your phone was stolen. To answer your questions, when you install Plan B remotely to your mobile device, you should receive an email with the phone’s location shortly after. If you have not yet received and email, it may that your phone is powered off, or does not have a connection (WiFi or network 3G/4G). If this is the case, as soon as your phone is turned on (or receives a connection), you will receive an email message. You can also text “locate” to your phone to try to initiate another locate to your phone, however, if your phone’s SIM card has been removed the text will not be delivered to your device (you won’t be able to use the text message to help find your phone). If you locate your phone, you can let your local police station know the phone’s location and they can help you safely retrieve your mobile device. If you have any questions at all about using Plan B to find your phone, please let us know: support@mylookout[dot]com. Thanks!
Great ideally, but no thief is ever going to keep the sim card in! That’s the first thing they will remove. I’ve had this problem and the police just are not interested. A program that could detect if a new sim was working with the IMEI number would be useful. Great for lost phones, not so great if anyone finds your phone first!
If the thief changes the sim card will the program be able to find the cellphone through the imei number?
@Alex, thanks for reaching out. If you remotely install Plan B from the web Android Market, and your phone has a WiFi connection, you should receive an email to your Gmail account with the phone’s location (even if your sim card has been removed). Plan B will only be able to locate your device upon install (since the method to re-locate the device after install requires texting “locate” to the device). If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us: feedback@mylookout[dot]com. Thanks!